The present invention relates generally to clutch release bearings for motor vehicles.
As is known a clutch release bearing which is adapted to control the release mechanism of a clutch generally comprises a drive or thrust member which is adapted to engage the clutch release mechanism and an operating member which is controlled directly or indirectly by an acutating member usually called a fork or fork actuator, the drive motor being axially attached to the operating member.
The present invention relates more particularly to such clutch release bearings which are adapted to operate in traction, in other words which are pulled. To this end the operating member comprises a sleeve having a transverse flange fixed thereto against which the drive member bears axially, and a so-called bearing member having an axial tubular portion and a radial collar cooperable with the axially moving fork actuating member bearing member remote from the flange.
In actual practice with release bearings of this type, the sleeve and the flange of the operating member are of one-piece molded plastic construction, and therefore to provide sufficient hardness or wear resistance for cooperation with the actuating member the bearing member is made of metal. Likewise, in practice, to protect the flange which is also made of plastic from the actuating member the bearing member comprises a second collar disposed at the end of said tubular portion adjacent the flange, the second collar overlying the surface of the flange.
Thus the bearing members used in pull or traction type release bearings usually have two radial collars parallel to each other, one in contact with the plastic flange for protecting the same and the other spaced from the flange for axial cooperation with the actuating member.
Heretofore the tubular portion of the bearing member with the two collars overlaid the plastic sleeve and was in intimate contact therewith, whereby the collars extend radially in the same direction, i.e., radially outwardly.
The fabrication of such a metal bearing member from a sheet of metal in a press is difficult. The formation of the two radially outwardly extending collars requires two swaging operations carried out in opposite directions necessitating complex and expensive tooling with relatively low production rates.